How can aboriginal boys be helped to do better in school?

This study analyses obstacles to aboriginal attainment in the BC K- 12 system. Among the causes of the relatively poor performance of aboriginal children are several which would be addressed by the development of magnet schools specialising in a culturally-resonant ethos, curriculum, instructional techniques, and institutional structure. Though such schools I-isk intensifying negative peer externalities which are found to help explain underachievement, they promise to be effective on balance. Initiatives to mitigate adverse educational consequences of the high mobility of the aboriginal population are also recommended. Aboriginal boys tend to fare worse than girls. The sources of the gender gap are investigated, with a view to enriching policy interventions to improve aboriginal education outcomes. The implications of an early male disadvantage in literacy suggest a key intervention point. Limited gender segregation appears a promising means of narrowing the gender gap.